Things Can Always Change
by disasterousperfection
Summary: All human. Canon pairings. They've been best friends as long as they can remember. But now,things are getting a little more...intense. Will friends become more? Things can always change.
1. Chapter 1

We had been friends for practically forever. There were three families; the Cullens were the first to move in.

They had their three children,Emmett,3,and the younger two,Alice and Edward,both 2. Alice and Emmett had been adopted,Edward was their actual child. Their parents,Esme and Carlisle Cullen were high school sweethearts. Carlisle was captain of the football team and Esme was cheerleading captain. It was love at first sight. You could see the love they had brimming in their children.

Emmett,though already big for his age,was a sweet child that loved to make you smile. Alice was a tiny whirlwind;coloring,singing,just happy all the time. Edward was their quiet one,he clung to music. Carlisle introduced him to some of the classics,and his favorite was Debussy. Everyone but Alice had blonde hair,ranging from Emmett and Carlisle's honey blonde,to Esme's strawberry,and Edward's copper. Alice's hair was the color of coal,dark and smooth. It went well with her chipper blue eyes,like her adopted mother. Carlisle and Edward both had green eyes,and Emmett's were a bright hazel.

After a year,we moved in. It was my dad,Charlie,my mom,Renee,and me,Isabella or Bella. I was three years old,brown hair down to my shoulders,and big brown eyes. I was a perfect mix of my mom and dad. Both had dark brown eyes and brown hair,though Charlie's was much darker than Renee's. They had met after high school,working in the same bookstore. Charlie was now the chief of Forks PD,and Renee was working in Port Angeles as a budding clothes designer.

Two months later came the Hales. Jack and Laurie had met while living in Texas,and moved to Washington to help care for Jack's ailing mother. She had passed recently,and the family was looking for a new start. They were both stunning. Laurie's blonde hair was long and hanged in a ponytail behind her back,showing off her baby blues. Her husband's tan skin showed off his green eyes and auburn hair. And then there were the twins. Jasper and Rosalie. Both blonde,Jasper with green eyes,Rose with blue.

We lived in the same neighborhood. We lived next door to the Cullens,the Hales lived across the street. The six of us were all in the same classes,and became fast friends. We spent most of our time outdoors,wanting to get away from the adults. Even though we were all close,Edward and I became the fastest friends. He loved to push me on the swings,he loved to hold my hand when we crossed the street. I remember our first day of kindergarten....

_I buckled the strap to my overalls as mom came in to brush my hair. She pulled my hair back into pigtails. Renee always loved the way my hair would curl when it was pulled back like that. I was dressed in school colors,blue and red. I had a little red polo shirt on under my overalls,and red rubber bands in my hair. I slid on my new favorite shoes,they were Power Rangers and lit up,and ran to eat breakfast. _

_Of course,the gang was already there. Jasper and Emmett were arguing about Emmett eating the last grape. Alice was fidgeting with her new skirt,making sure it would lay flat. Rose picked at her food;French toast and fruit wasn't her favorite. I looked for my empty seat,seeing it next to Edward. He hugged me when I sat next to him,getting me sticky with syrup. I laughed at him as Esme sighed. His new blue school polo was covered in powdered sugar,his khaki's too. She picked him up and put him by the sink,brushing him off. The school bus beeped,and she put him down. We grabbed our backpacks and headed out. He held my hand until we got to class,knowing I was scared._

_"It's okay,Bells. It's just school." We laughed and went to play blocks._

"Bella! You awake over there?" Alice Cullen.

Of course she would be the one to wake me up. Times had changed in those fourteen years. We all lived in the same houses. Emmett was seventeen,the rest of us sixteen. He and Rosalie had been dating for a few months now. Alice had mentioned to me about thinking Jasper was cute. And then there was Edward and I. We were still just best friends. Of course,he never knew I had the biggest crush on him.

Who wouldn't? The tiny toddler I had become friends with had grown into this handsome,six foot one...god. There really wasn't any other way to put it. His jaw was so defined,as if chiseled out of stone. Speaking of chiseled,don't even get me started on his body,which was slightly muscular due to his being captain of the track team. But I couldn't ever get the guts to tell him. I was five three,the same brown eyes and brown hair. I was skinny,pale... I didn't even really have a butt to speak of...

**"BELLA!**" Alice jumped on my bed,scaring the living daylights out of me. I had my own bed over at her house. We were together enough. This was one of those weekends. A huge Cullen/Swan/Hale sleepover. Now that we were older,the parents allowed us to have a house to ourselves one weekend a month. We usually chose the Cullen's,since theirs was the biggest. Alice,Rose,and I were sleeping in her room,Emmett,Jasper,and Edward usually camped out in Emmett's room. Ed was very picky about things in his room,and Em's room had the XBOX 360,the biggest TV...usual boy stuff.

"Yes Alice?" I stammered,coming back into reality.

"It's almost nine,get up!" I narrowed my eyes at her. We didn't go to bed last night until three,how in the world was I supposed to be cheery this early!

"Come on,Edward's cooking breakfast. He's already said he'd make you chocolate chip pancakes." Damn. He knew I was a sucker for those.

"Fine. Let me get up. I'll be down in fifteen minutes."

She smiled as she went downstairs. I sighed,knowing I was going to have to face him,the crush building day after day. I brushed my hair,now falling just under my shoulder blades,and brushed my teeth. I made sure I was presentable. Dark blue t-shirt with the Who on the front,and black pajama pants with blue stars.

I decided it was finally time to go,knowing Alice would be back up here soon. I could hear laughing as I reached the front room. Alice and Rose were watching some talk show. Emmett and Jasper were thumb wrestling. Some times,we don't grow up as much as we think we do. And there was Edward,looking perfect,cooking pancakes. His muscular chest barely hidden against a light gray t-shirt,and blue pajama pants.

"Morning,Bells." He smiled as he hugged me.

I think I could _melt_!


	2. Chapter 2

Bella had come downstairs,and I thought my knees might collapse. I've been head over heels for her since we were fourteen. She was so..._angelic_. Her dark hair and eyes against that almost alabaster skin was something I could never get over. She had curves in all the right places. I had dreams of snaking my arms around her and just holding her close. I wished she were mine,but I'm afraid we were destined to be best friends.

"Morning,Bells." I managed to make it sound natural,as I went to hug her. She fit next to me,perfectly. I smiled as she hopped up on the counter,her hand reaching for the bag of chocolate chips.

"Can't you wait? You know I always put extra in yours." I laughed at her,as she blushed.

"Awh,none of that now. You know I can't resist you when you do that." And boy was it true. Her blushing is one of those things that almost sent me over the edge. I've tried many times to tell her she's beautiful,but she chides it off as if to say I'm biased. I am,but it's no less true.

We sat in almost silence,eating,watching whatever was on TV. Since it was Saturday,and getting close to that Christmas season,we had settled on driving to Seattle for present shopping. I had an idea on what to get everyone else...but Bella. What do you get the girl of your dreams? I wanted this Christmas to be the year I actually told her how I felt about her. I just can't hide it anymore. Of course,our presents won't get opened until after Christmas. It was tradition. My family went to Alaska to visit old friends,the Denali. _Ugh. Tanya_. She'd almost ruined Bella's friendship with me that summer she came to visit. **NO ONE** calls me Eddie. Especially with that kissy face! The thought of it made me shiver,but warm hands gave me goosebumps.

"You cold?" Bella. She had seen me shiver,and was trying her best to keep me warm. I smiled at her,nodding,as I pulled her up.

"Come on,let's get dressed. Alice will be wanting to leave soon." She nodded,as did Rose,Jasper,and Emmett,who had been playing Halo 3.

"Twenty minutes!" As if on cue,Alice was harping at us to hurry up. I ran upstairs,changing into my winter usual. Dark jeans,black button front shirt with a gray thermal underneath. I slid on my boots just in time to hear Bella arguing with Alice. _Uh-oh_. _Someone didn't want Barbie time_,I smiled.

"Fine! You win this time,Swan! I'll get you later!" She giggled as Bella ran out the door. Good God,she was beautiful. Black jeans,black t-shirt with pink writing saying "Heart on my sleeve.." it even had a little pink plaid heart on the sleeve. She had paired that with a pink thermal underneath it. I watched her as she looked around the floor.

"Crap." She muttered to herself.

"What?" I asked,trying to figure out what she had done this time.

"I can't find my shoes. You know,my Vans that have the..." By this time I had already found her black and pink Vans. Alice had picked out the pink stuff on Bella,but she didn't hate it completely. It gave her a punk rock edge,which she liked. And I liked on her. I took her hand as we went downstairs,so I could help her into her coat.

"You look like a black marshmallow!" I laughed as she stuck her tongue out at me. But it was true. The new coat Charlie had bought her did nothing but puff her up. It was like a hotbox in that coat,but she loved it.

"Yay! Off to the mall!" Alice chirped as we left the house. We decided to take Bella's SUV. It carried all of us,and thanks to Rosalie,had just been upgraded. GPS system,DVD player with TV's in the headrest,the works. Rose loved working on cars,and helping Bella sell that old red truck and get this was the cherry on her sundae. Everyone piled in,Rose and Emmett in the back,Jasper and Alice in the middle seats,Bella and I up front. Bella had let me drive since I let her drive my precious Volvo to school the other morning.

I set our course on the GPS as we set out. The mall wasn't very far away,and we left early enough to avoid a lot of the traffic.

Every year at Christmas was the same with this group. We stopped at Java Joe's,the small coffee shop inside the mall,for everyone to keep warm and have some caffeine in them. Then we went our separate ways to shop for each other. We'd meet up in three hours for an early lunch,finish up any last minute shopping,and then head over to Worley's Wrapping. We loved that place,and it had a great deal of choice for wrapping paper.

I set off with list in hand. Starting with mom and dad. They were easy. I gathered little odds and ends for them to have a romantic night together. Movies,popcorn,a quilt,wine glasses,the usual. Next was Emmett. He was a huge fan of Julius Jones,a running back for the Seahawks. Jasper hated him for it,seems Jones used to play for Jasper's favorite team,the Dallas Cowboys. After I picked up Em's jersey,I decided to spend time looking for her gift. Everyone else's was simple. Just as I thought of her,she sent me a text message.

_"Hi :D"_

**"Hey :)"**

"_How goes the shopping?"_

**"Struggling with one present. How goes it with you?"**

_"Same. I just can't find that right gift,ya know?"_ I smiled. Of course she would know how I felt.

**"Yeah."**

_"Gotta go,I see Alice peeking! :)_" I smiled to myself,as I closed the text. I looked at the picture I had as my wallpaper. It had been taken last month,over at the Hales. I was sitting on the floor,with Bella in my lap. My arms were draped around her,as she rested her head on my shoulder. Rose had caught the picture,I didn't even see it until I saw my phone later on that night. I haven't taken it off since.

The phone went back in my jacket pocket as I rounded a corner in the mall,landing me in front of her present. I knew it would be perfect for her. It was a photo album book. My Bella was one for memories. Her tack board was stuffed with pictures of all of us growing up,of our parents... she would love it. Especially if I did my part and got it started. Another memory.

I picked it up in my hands,and it screamed her even more. The cream linen cover with a mahogany colored leather binding reminded me so much of her. I paid for it,and watched as the lady behind the counter wrapped it in tissue paper and then boxed it. By the time I left,it was time to meet up with everyone. I couldn't wait to get to work on her present.

Later that night,we were back at my house,watching Jasper and Emmett play Halo. Alice was busy putting up her clothes she had bought earlier in the day. Rose was in charge of dinner that night,and she was in the kitchen,making chili dogs. I had taken my usual spot on the couch,reading Pride and Prejudice. She had asked me to read it many times before,and since I had just finished my last book,I decided it couldn't hurt. By chapter two,I heard her come into the room.

She had been with her parents,helping Renee move some of her things from work to home. What unnerved me is how stressed she looked. Every time she had been with her parents lately,she had come back seeming angry and depressed. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail,and I could see her brow furrowing.

I sat up,patting the seat next to me. She flopped beside me as I hugged her.

"Bad day?" She just shrugged. I knew it was bad,she would tell me unless it was bad. She was always worried of my reaction. I kissed her forehead,and massaged her shoulders.

"It's okay,I'll keep you safe." I smiled to her as I pulled her close to me.

This is where she belonged.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: i've been trying to get this chapter up all night,but it finally let me! lemme know if you guys actually like this story,i know it's taking a while to flesh out,but it's an idea i can't get outta my head!**

God. I could not believe my parents! Fighting and carrying on,like they don't...

They still love each other... _I think_. Each day they were getting more and more distant from each other. If they weren't putting a face on for public,they were never together.

But I can't think about that now. I still have my weekend with the gang. I have to get my Christmas shopping wrapped,especially Edward's. He's such a sneak. I walked back in their door,and he was the one to notice I was back. He patted the couch next to him and hugged me.

"Bad day?" He asked,and I shrugged. He knew something was up,but he also knew better than to ask me in front of everyone. It would be bad enough to let him know but to tell the rest of them?

He leaned back to lay down,and I snuggled up beside him. I could smell Rose was almost done with dinner,but I didn't care. I needed to feel his arms around me,to feel safe again. Sure enough,he draped an arm around me,holding him close to him.

_"You're alright,quit shaking!_" He whispered,and I became very aware that I was shaking like a little chihuahua.

"You okay?" I nodded,scooting closer to him.

"Just need a friend for a minute." He nodded into my hair and tightened his grip around me. We sat like that,my own personal bliss for about ten minutes before Rosalie called us to the table.

"Alright guys,let's enjoy this. Its our last group dinner before we separate for Christmas."

I sighed,knowing it was true. The Cullens were on their way to Alaska to visit friends of the family,and the Hales were going to Texas to see their family that was still down there. Thanks to dad's job,he said we couldn't go anywhere. I couldn't leave mom with just Charlie for the holidays. I loved trimming the tree with her. But I was seriously going to miss these guys. Especially him. I had planned on telling him how I felt for Christmas. I had bought him a brand new leather wallet,which I had filled with gift cards to his favorite things. Itunes,restaurants,and mostly pictures of us. I had made a smaller copy of my favorite picture to put in there. It was taken after he had won the track championship. I had come up to him looking cheesy with flowers. He stuck one behind my ear and hugged me. My head resting against his chest,his chin resting on the top of my head. Alice had snapped the picture,and had it framed for my desk. I just hope I'm going to make it the week without them.

"So.." Alice continued on after Rose got quiet, "I've already planned it. Jazz,you and Rose get home around seven Saturday night,we'll be home by nine. Mom's already said she's gonna spend some time with your parents so let's all meet over here about ten pm and open presents. We can all sleep over here too!" At least someone was excited. We all nodded in agreement,it was the same plan every year,it just switched houses.

I was pretty tired after dinner. That little episode with Charlie and Renee had wore me out.

"Oh,Bell,I was gonna tell you. Em and I are gonna take his room tonight,Jazz and Ali are gonna sleep down here,so if you want,you'll have Ali's room to yourself." I smiled,but shrugged. I was used to being alone. I was an only child after all. I went into the room to change into my pajamas for the night;a red Forks PD shirt and black track pants. I was going to close the door when Edward appeared at the door.

"Jeez Ed,you scared the daylights outta me!" I placed my hand over my heart,like it was going to stop the erratic beating.

"Sorry. Just thought you might not want to sleep alone tonight. You seem upset about something."

He brushed my bangs out of my face as I smiled. I grabbed his hand as he led me into his room. His was always my favorite. The walls were a deep heather gray. White was too boring,but he knew he would tire quickly of a bolder color like blue or red. His walls were covered in shelves holding his massive CD collections,posters from artists he liked,and a huge pegboard with all his memorabilia. Ticket stubs from when we all went to see Shinedown. Pictures from our summer at camp when we were ten. I ran my fingers across his big down comforter. The charcoal black stood out against the dim lightness of the room.

"Go ahead and lay down,it's not gonna bite you or anything. I'm gonna go change." I climbed in on my side of the bed,since I knew he preferred the left side,and snuggled down under the covers. I imagined if we were only together,cuddling up here as more than friends...running my hands through his hair,getting that first kiss...

Thoughts were interrupted when he walked back in the room. His green eyes very apparent thanks to his green Five Finger Death Punch shirt and black sweat pants.

"You gonna talk about what's bugging you at least?" He said as he laid down beside me.

"It's nothing,really. Just stressed about school I guess."

"Over winter break? Come on Bells,I know you better than that. Plus,you're probably going to graduate valedictorian the way you're headed." He took his finger to lift my chin up to look at him.

"Now,what is it,or do I have to tickle it out of you." I giggled. He tried so hard to look serious,but the smile that played across his perfect face gave him away.

"It's just the parents."

"Fighting again?" I looked up at him,surprised.

"How did I know?" I nodded out of stupidity.

"I live next door to you,silly. I can hear when Renee yells,and I can see Charlie scowl everytime she comes in the door." I sighed,thinking I had been able to hide this from him.

"Come here,my Bella." I loved it when he called me** HIS** Bella. I just wish the meaning behind it was a little more special. He tugged me closer to him,so I could rest my head on his chest. My eyes were warm with tears,but I wouldn't dare. If I cried,he may know things are. That Charlie wanted to spend time in Tacoma to get away from Renee. He wanted to take me with him. The only reason we were still here right now was because of me. I didn't want my parents fighting,what kid did? How could I look at my friends and their oh so perfect families,knowing mine was falling apart?

"Shh,don't cry." He kissed the crown of my head. I placed my hand over his shirt. Still dry?

"There was a hitch in your breathing,sounded like you were trying not to cry."

"Oh Ed. I wish you guys didn't have to go."

"I know. Trust me,me too. But we gotta. And hey,it'll only be a week,right?" He hugged me tight,his arm wrapped around me with his hand settled on my waist. I nestled into him closer as I drifted off to sleep.

The next morning it was time to say goodbye. Rose and Jasper went back across the street to pack,as the Cullen kids went upstairs. I took my stuff back to the house,only to find two notes on the table.

_"Work,bye sweetie! Xoxo Momma."_

_"Hey Bells,I gotta go see Billy. Say bye for me! How does pizza or takeout sound tonight? Call me when you decide-Dad."_

I sighed,crumpling the post-its in my hand. Now,not only were my friends leaving me,my family wasn't even here to stay with me. I unpacked my bag and sat outside on the porch steps,waiting for the moment I didn't want to come.

Em came outside to put his bag in the Jeep when he saw me.

"Hey little sis,what's up? Where's the Chief?"

"The rez." I mumbled.

"Your mom?"

"Work." He frowned,trying to decide what to say. He patted my shoulder.

"It'll be alright,Bella. I'll bring you back something cool. Like a koala!"

"Koalas don't live in Alaska,Emmy bear." I laughed.

"Yeah,but it got you to smile." I smiled again as he waved. Time passed,more bags came out,until the six of us met in front of the driveway with the parents. Jack and Laurie hugged me really tight.

"You take care of them,Isabella. We all know you're the most mature." Laurie smiled at me. She knew my mom was hairbrained and my dad was barely self sufficient. The only thing he could cook was Ramen noodles. Jasper kissed my cheek and Rose hugged me,trying not to cry.

"I'll text you when we get there." I nodded,as I faced the Cullens. Esme was in tears,leaving her "kids" behind was always hard for her. She stroked my hair,making me promise to call if I needed her. Carlisle shook his head at his wife as he gave me a one armed hug.

"Tell Charlie steaks when we get back." I nodded again,as Alice almost knocked me over. Emmett picked me up over his shoulder and twirled me around. And then there was Edward. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

"I'm gonna miss you,even though it is a week." Were there tears in his eyes?

"Me too. Be good." I vainly attempted to smile,knowing he would see right through it. He kissed my forehead as they all got into their cars. I watched the cars get smaller and smaller down the road. I sighed once they were out of my sight,and called Charlie.

"Pizza sounds good,dad."


End file.
